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Apple Font Tool Suite VS FontForge

Compare Apple Font Tool Suite VS FontForge and see what are their differences

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Apple Font Tool Suite logo Apple Font Tool Suite

A suite of tools for working with font files.

FontForge logo FontForge

Free (libre) font editor for Windows, Mac OS X and GNU+Linux
  • Apple Font Tool Suite Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-27
  • FontForge Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-14

Apple Font Tool Suite features and specs

  • Comprehensive Toolset
    The Apple Font Tool Suite provides a wide range of tools that are useful for font development, including font validation, conversion, and manipulation, making it a versatile option for type designers.
  • High Integration with Apple Ecosystem
    Being developed by Apple, the suite is highly compatible and integrated with Apple’s technology stack, which is beneficial for developers working within the Apple ecosystem.
  • Optimization for Apple Platforms
    The tools are optimized for creating fonts that perform well on Apple's platforms, ensuring that fonts display beautifully and efficiently on macOS, iOS, and other Apple devices.
  • Free and Easily Accessible
    The font tools are freely available to developers, providing a cost-effective solution for those looking to develop and fine-tune typefaces without extra expenses.

Possible disadvantages of Apple Font Tool Suite

  • Limited Cross-Platform Support
    The suite is primarily designed for use on Apple's operating systems, which limits its usability for developers who work across multiple, non-Apple platforms.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    For those unfamiliar with font development or Apple's toolsets, there may be a steep learning curve to effectively use all the features provided in the suite.
  • Limited Community Support
    Since it is a specialized tool from Apple, there may be limited community-based support and resources compared to more universally used font development tools.
  • Restricted Customization Options
    The focus on Apple platforms may restrict certain customization options that are available in other more general-purpose font toolsets, limiting flexibility for some users.

FontForge features and specs

  • Open Source
    FontForge is an open-source font editor, which means it is free to use, modify, and distribute. This makes it accessible for individuals or organizations with limited budgets.
  • Cross-Platform
    FontForge is available for various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing users to work on their font projects regardless of the platform.
  • Extensive Feature Set
    FontForge boasts a wide range of features for font creation and editing, including support for multiple font formats, scripting abilities, and advanced typographic tools.
  • Active Community
    As an open-source project, FontForge has an active community of users and developers who contribute to its improvement and provide valuable support and resources.
  • Scripting Capabilities
    FontForge supports Python scripting, which allows users to automate repetitive tasks, create custom tools, and extend the functionality of the software.

Possible disadvantages of FontForge

  • Steep Learning Curve
    FontForge can be challenging for beginners due to its complex interface and extensive feature set, requiring a significant time investment to become proficient.
  • Less Polished Interface
    Compared to some commercial font editors, FontForge’s user interface may appear less modern and less intuitive, which can be a drawback for users accustomed to more polished software.
  • Inconsistent Documentation
    While there is a wealth of information available, the documentation for FontForge can sometimes be outdated or incomplete, making it difficult for users to find the help they need.
  • Limited Customer Support
    As an open-source project, FontForge lacks dedicated customer support. Users must rely on community forums and user groups for assistance, which may not always provide timely or comprehensive help.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Some users have reported encountering bugs and crashes, which can disrupt work and result in lost progress if proper precautions like frequent saving are not taken.

Apple Font Tool Suite videos

No Apple Font Tool Suite videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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FontForge videos

+ Add

FontForge Master Class Part 1 - Install & Intro

More videos:

  • Review - Introduction to FontForge
  • Tutorial - Turn your handwriting into a font! (Calligraphr/Fontforge Tutorial)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apple Font Tool Suite and FontForge)

Apple Font Tool Suite

FontForge

Design Tools
17 17%
Design Tools
83% 83
Typography
100 100%
Typography
0% 0
Image Marketplace
19 19%
Image Marketplace
81% 81
Fonts
100 100%
Fonts
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apple Font Tool Suite seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 81 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apple Font Tool Suite mentions (81)

  • SN Pro Typeface
    I've found I like SF Pro from Apple, and Iosevka from Belleve Invis. SF Pro especially is really nice for UI elements, and Iosevka is great for coding and terminal work. https://developer.apple.com/fonts/ https://typeof.net/Iosevka/ I'm curious as to how you perceive those 2 font families? - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Berkeley Mono Typeface
    This does look very nice! Still, I often go back to what I know and what I got used to as the default on the OS. So, as a macOS user, I work with Apple's SF Mono: 
      https://developer.apple.com/fonts/.
    - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Is there any way to get the built-in variable SF Pro font as a file?
    Edit: I got a comment here mentioning that the file is stored on /System/Library/Fonts/SFNS.ttf, and its included in the SF Pro font package as SF-Pro.ttf. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Changing font to Apple's San Francisco font family?
    Is there a way to change all my notes to use Apple's San Francisco fonts available on their website? Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Could anyone tell me what is this font? Thank you :)
    Hmm.. I think it's either SF Pro Bold or Inter Bold (tbh those two fonts look really similar). Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

FontForge mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of FontForge yet. Tracking of FontForge recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apple Font Tool Suite and FontForge, you can also consider the following products

AFDKO - AFDKO is a collection of command-line tools used at Adobe for manipulating and creating OpenType...

BirdFont - Birdfont is a free font editor which lets you create vector graphics and export TTF, OTF, EOT and...

Microsoft Font Validator - A tool that evaluates how closely a TrueType or OpenType font adheres to the current font format...

FontCreator - This professional font editor allows you to create and edit TrueType and OpenType fonts.

Input Mono - Multiform monospace font.

Glyphs - Make everything from dingbat webfonts to full-fledged text typefaces in the most Mac-like font...

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